Alexander was born in Pella in 356 BC. His father, Philip II of Macedon, was an ambitious king who wanted to expand his kingdom and unite Greece under his rule.
Alexander was educated by Aristotle and became a skilled warrior. When his father died in 336 BC at the age of 49, Alexander ascended to the throne at the age of 20.
Alexander’s first campaign as king was against the Thracians on the border between Greece and Thrace. He then invaded the Persian empire and defeated Darius III at Gaugamela in 331 BC. Darius fled but was killed by one of his own men, Bessus (Barsaentes), who falsely claimed that he was Darius’ brother, Artaxerxes IV).
Alexander died suddenly at age 32 during a drunken party in Babylon in 323 B.C., leaving no heir to his vast empire. His generals started fighting over who would be next leader of the Macedonian Empire, which included Greece, Egypt and much of Asia Minor. The Wars of the Diadochi were fought over who would succeed Alexander as ruler of all Greece and Asia (modern Turkey). It lasted for nearly three decades. These wars resulted in the further weakening of Alexander’s empire and the rise of the Roman Republic.
The four major players in these wars were Antigonus Monophthalmus (“One Eye”), who sought control over all Greece; Cassander (Alexander’s cousin), who wanted to rule Macedonia; Lysimachus (“Sieger”), who wanted to rule Thrace; and Ptolemy I Soter (“Helper”), who wanted to rule Egypt.
